


Hunters, Doctors, Lovers

by Prim_the_Amazing



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, M/M, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, POV Karkat Vantas, Polyamory, Post-EriSolSprite, Post-Sburb/Sgrub, Quadrant Fuckery, Really they are just a constantly vacilating mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-24 09:37:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6149319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prim_the_Amazing/pseuds/Prim_the_Amazing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eridan's horn is chipped. It's not to Equius levels (his bones could unfortunately not grow stronger along with his muscles, which is really something he should've known before, considering his teeth, but to be fair he had been a wriggler at the time), but the sharp right tip is very clearly missing. You'd known that he'd been out for an unusually long time hunting, but had figured he'd just been dealing with some especially crafty game, too stubborn to call it quits even by the time the new harmless sun started rising. Sollux hadn't noticed at all, too preoccupied with his coding. </p><p>But it turned out that that dumb ass had forgotten that he could. Not. Fly. </p><p>-</p><p>Eridan is wounded while he's out hunting, and he manages to drag himself home to his concerned boyfriends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hunters, Doctors, Lovers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [1010nabulation](https://archiveofourown.org/users/1010nabulation/gifts).



"This is dumber than the time Sollux forgot he couldn't breathe underwater," you say, trying to lighten the mood. What you get instead is two glares (one watering with violet tears and squinting at you through the pain, the other indignant), but it's basically the same thing. 

Eridan's horn is _chipped_. It's not to Equius levels (his bones could unfortunately not grow stronger along with his muscles, which is really something he should've known before, considering his teeth, but to be fair he _had_ been a wriggler at the time), but the sharp right tip is very clearly missing. You'd known that he'd been out for an unusually long time hunting, but had figured he'd just been dealing with some especially crafty game, too stubborn to call it quits even by the time the new harmless sun started rising. Sollux hadn't noticed at all, too preoccupied with his coding. 

But it turned out that that dumb ass had forgotten that he could. Not. Fly. 

"I mean, at least Sollux's mistake just resulted in him coughing a lot. And looking stupid as hell." The silence is getting on your last nerve, and you can't seem to stop talking. God, but you hate Past Karkat so fucking much. 

Sollux reaches for you, and you're afraid that he's going to hit you or something, flipping an ugly pitch for you in the heat of this terrible moment, of this terrible you. You couldn't handle that right now, especially not with Eridan in an unfit state to act as an ashen third. But instead he gives you a brief, perfunctory pap, not soothing, more like the pale equivalent of a a slap to snap you out of it. Pale. Thank god. That's what you all need right now. 

"Shut up, KK," Sollux says, and you nod gratefully. Really, you should just always shut up. It should be your default state of being. Everyone would be happier for it. 

"Right!" You nod vigorously in agreement. "I'll go get some bandages." It had been more than just his horn that had been hurt in his fall, scratches and cuts of differing degree of seriousness spread all over his body. He'd be a big bruise by tomorrow. 

You head to the ablution block to find the Delaying the Inevitable Kit (troll terms could be harsh) as Sollux leads Eridan to the multiple person seating receptacle. Sollux would have had to use his psionics if they'd just been with Eridan when he'd been hurt, in fresh pain and barely able to crawl under his own power, but he'd been alone. He'd lied there for hours, recuperating, slowly getting used to the pain, limping home until he could put on the shittiest poker face in existence and-- 

You start going over what's in the kit to distract yourself from that train of thought. Bacteria annihilation fluid, bandages, band aids, pain killers, _lots_ of pain killers, highblood tolerance is not only crazy but also a pain in the ass for fretting boyfriends. Not that you're fretting. You are-- concerned, or whatever the manly, heroic version of the word concerned is. Shit, why isn't there one? This is a fucking travesty. 

You walk back to them, and Eridan's sprawled out on the multiple person seating receptacle. Sollux is slowly easing a pillow underneath Eridan's head so that he won't accidentally put any pressure on his chipped horn. Eridan is managing to bitch up a storm while still somehow being in enough pain that he can barely get a word out that isn't half a pained, garbled hiss. You lay down your bounty of shit that seems inadequate for the situation at hand, and start wetting a bunch of cotton balls with the disinfectant. When you start dabbing him he _literally_ starts snarling, and you can see that Sollux is holding him down and still with his psionics, red and blue crackling around him. 

"Stop whining," Sollux says. Eridan bares his teeth at him. 

You are all terrible. Why do you have to fight so hard to stay firmly pale when you so desperately need it right now? This is no time to be... bickering, arguing. It's unbalanced. It could get out of hand. 

You out away the cotton balls and start putting on band aids and bandages on all of the small cuts and scrapes littered over his body, and Sollux eases up on his psionics along with Eridan's muscles, strung tight like a bow before. You don't know what you're supposed to with the horn. There's nothing you can do with a damaged horn. You smooth out the last band aid on his cheek, hands flowing smoothly into a soothing stroke when you're done, and Eridan makes a small sound. Not quite a sigh, not quite a whimper. 

"Next time you go hunting," you say, your voice raw, "bring me." 

"I don't need a grubsitter--" he starts. 

"I want to learn," you interrupt him, and he quiets. Mollified. Sollux snorts, and you glare at him. Yeah, your motivations are obvious, but would it kill him just to play along for once? A guilty look flashes across his face and he looks down. You relax, relieved that he didn't decide to get in a fight with you. You wouldn't have been able to back down, not right now. 

"I guess I could learn too, when Karkat's busy," Sollux says grudgingly. 

"Well now I _know_ you're lying. You're such a fuckin' shut in." 

"Like it wasn't already obvious, you self deluding shit head." 

You pay attention, making sure that the banter stays friendly and light, ready to jump in if the tone changes for the worse. As they talk you relax, frayed nerves settling down. 

You end up falling asleep on the floor by the seating unit, arms and head pillowed on Eridan's legs. He complains about it when you wake up, and Sollux manages to sneak into the only ablution block you have in the whole hive first while the two of you are distracted. The asshole always uses up all of the hot water.

The three of you become excellent hunters. 


End file.
